The guard dodged the crest and looked as if he wanted to escape.
“Why are you staring at me?” Attor yelled. “Go back. Find her. Search the mountains this time.”
Novem nodded once and quickly backed out of the room. Attor grabbed a decorative pot and threw it. The antique shattered but it didn’t make him feel better. The memory of the kiss haunted him. He wanted Lady Mede. He wanted to dominate her, make her his queen. Seeing her, touching her, had made his path very clear. She understood him. She could love him. He’d seen the sympathy in her eyes when she’d talked of the prince. Why hadn’t he told her he was the prince?
Why hadn’t he finished his seduction in the forest that night?
Attor looked down the length of his body to his erection. He felt out of control. Where was Myrddin with his nef? He needed to temper back his desires, control them.
Almost angrily he turned to the footsteps entering his room. A maid carried a bucket of hot water and a satchel of cleaning supplies. She froze when she saw him.
“I-I was about to clean the hall. Th-th-the guard said to…” She gestured toward the broken pot and made a cleaning gesture.
“Leave it,” Attor commanded. Then, eyeing her waist, he added, “Take off that gown and get in the bed.” Her blonde hair and rounded figure were not what he wanted, though they were very pretty to look at.
“I’m married,” she whispered in shock.
“Then send me someone who isn’t!” Attor yelled.
The woman ran from the room, leaving her bucket behind. Attor grabbed another antique, a statue of a shifting cat, and threw it. The metal clanged, bouncing across the floor but not breaking.
The walls of the palace were closing in on him. He hated his life, hated his weak father and dead mother. That rage fueled him. Ever since he’d decided to take Mede as his wife, life without her had become unbearable. Fucking brought some relief, but it was always temporary.
Where was that maid? How dare she use marriage as an excuse not to obey him? What was taking her so long? He should have made her get on her knees for him, married or not. She was a servant. It was her job to see to his needs—all of them.
Attor threw another statue, aiming in the direction where its metal twin had landed. The clanking noise still did nothing to ease his anger.
“Just bring me my bride,” he whispered through gritted teeth. “I want my bride.”
* * *
“Why are you so adverse to marriage? Your parents seem very well suited to each other.” Llyr watched Mede carefully as she walked next to one of the sick ceffyls.
“This ceffyl ate solarflowers,” Mede answered. The large animal walked slowly with its center horn pointed more forward than up as its head drooped. It stayed close to Mede as if the creature remembered her from its ceffylhood. Chances were it did. The creature opened its mouth and slithered a long tongue against Mede’s arm. The action was slow and the reptilian eyes had a glassy sheen. “And then she was given her normal food. That’s what’s wrong with her. They can’t eat solarflowers and normal food close together. It’s toxic to them.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. Why do you dislike the idea of marriage?”
“You should really take better care of the animals in your charge.” Mede kept walking, not looking at him. The cool mountain breeze gave an odd contrast to the heat of midday. Seeing the orb of the blue sun reminded him of how rare Mede’s birth was. The temperatures on the planet were always warm, though it could get chilly in the mountains. The blue radiation genetically altered the men so they produced mostly sons.
“So you’re not going to answer my question?”
“How hard is it to make sure there are no solarflowers near their grazing land?” she asked.
Llyr chuckled. “Fine. You don’t want to answer.”
Mede glanced over her shoulder to where Tomos followed behind them. He was too far back to listen easily. “Every male during my training tried to claim me as a bride. My mother wants me to have a thousand children. My father wants anything that will please my mother. I want to be treated like an equal and not a brood mare.”
“Only a thousand?” Llyr drawled wryly.
Mede turned a shocked look toward him and then started to laugh. “Yes, only a thousand.”
“So your mother wants to be a grandmother and boys had crushes on you when you were a child, so naturally you don’t want to marry just to be contrary?”
Mede grimaced. “Don’t say it like that. It makes it sound ridiculous.”
“Well…”
She arched a brow. “I won’t apologize for being me and wanting what I want—not to a commoner, not to a Var, not to the Prince of all the Draig, not to the King of the Accursed Universe. So you smile your handsome little smile and think whatever you want, but insult my life choices again and that’s one battle you’ll lose to a girl.”
Llyr tried to look properly chastised.
“And you’re baiting me, aren’t you?” she asked in exasperation.
Llyr couldn’t maintain innocence and started to laugh. “You think my smile is handsome?”
“I think you, prince, are teasing me.” Mede reached her hand to pet the ceffyl as they walked. Her long, delicate fingers glanced over the center of the animal’s face. “I’m just not sure why.”
“Maybe I like you,” Llyr admitted. It was only a fraction of the truth. When he looked at her, he felt as if he’d found himself. When she touched him, his skin lit on fire and a shockwave rocked him to the very core. He thought of her more than he thought of himself. He wanted desperately to win her, not because the crystal glowing in his pocket told him they were fated but because she chose him. He wanted her to choose him. As Draig, they spent their whole lives being told that the gods knew what was best when it came to the heart and would reward those who lived honorable and did their duty. This practice contradicted independent dragons like Mede who wouldn’t appreciate being told what to do.
“I was very excited when I heard your father had contracted Galaxy Brides Corporation for a steady shipment of brides who would agree to marry strangers. Trading rocks for brides is genius.” She sighed dramatically. “I had hoped it would distract the men with new blood, but I quickly discovered that it still didn’t stop men from proposing to me.”
Mede was a strange and complicated woman. He could tell as much within five seconds of meeting her. Actually, he’d concluded as much before he’d even officially met her. She’d defied gods and tradition by crushing her own crystal—and she didn’t appear to regret it.
No, a woman like Mede wouldn’t want his crystal telling her what to do. She’d need to discover her future for herself. Just because the crystal glowed, it didn’t mean the bride had to say yes.
Llyr needed her to say yes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
“You have dirt on your nose,” he answered.
Mede wiped at her face. Llyr laughed.
Realizing he again teased, she made a small playful noise of discontent and turned her attention to the path in front of them once more.
* * *
Draig Northern Mountains, Western Fields
Mede absently patted the sick beast as she walked, trying to give the ceffyl some comfort. Her father had taught her a lot about the herds, especially after he’d found out what she’d done to her crystal. Though he never really said anything directly to her, she had the feeling he wanted her to have a skill in case she never married. Taking care of the herds was an honorable job, one that would ensure her future and Axell’s legacy—at least for one more generation.
The western fields were easy to find. They consisted of a series of connected valleys that led between jagged cliffs. The rocky walls provided safety and shade for the herds. Finding which nook of those valleys her father was holed up in proved to be more difficult. Instead, she watched the ceffyls for signs that others were nearby.
Llyr was pleasant company. She couldn’t
fault him for his charm and likeability, but she still found herself tense from his nearness. Coming to consciousness in his arms after being strangled by a wedding gown had been a surreal experience. Those green eyes of his had pierced into her, until confusion and desire had locked her muscles and made resistance impossible. Though the moment had been brief by any real standard, it felt like it had lasted an eternity in her mind.
Part of her said to run.
Part of her said to kiss him.
The majority of her told the rest of her, to keep quiet and get control of her emotions.
Mede couldn’t explain the thread that filtered out of her toward him. She found herself looking at his neck, to the dormant stone. Everything in her culture told her they were not meant to be together. From his neck, her gaze moved down to his chest. When he walked, the tunic molded to his muscles. She remembered the press of his stomach to hers when he’d held her on the couch. There were plenty of well-shaped men on her planet, but for some reason she found herself looking at Llyr with renewed sight. Her steps faltered and she fell a few paces behind him. The breeze blew his shirt against his spine, burrowing into the indent cutting down his back.
Tingling erupted in her lower stomach. Mede did not want to be married. She clung to that fact. As everything else inside her turned to turmoil, she had to go with logic.
“My lady?” Llyr questioned.
Mede realized she’d stopped walking. Instead of admitting she’d been staring at his backside, she pointed to the distance. “My father likes to camp near that cave. If he’s not there, we can track him from there.”
Llyr lifted his hand and motioned back to Tomos before changing directions to walk toward the cave.
Mede closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The mountain air was sweet in the valleys. The blend of grasses and tiny blue flowers mixed with the almost acidic smell of porous black rocks that littered the ground, like forgotten pieces of the past.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to this part of our territory before,” Llyr said.
“Not many people come here,” Mede answered. “There is nothing here but grazing land for the ceffyls. It’s protected territory. Nothing to hunt. No reason to come.”
Llyr reached down and picked up a black rock. He bounced it in his hand. “I haven’t seen aphanitic stones like this either?”
“Aphanitic?” She frowned.
“See the fine grains? It happens when rocks cool fast from high temperatures.” He ran his finger down the center of the rock.
She watched the touch, captivated by his fingertip. “You like rocks?”
“I like reading,” he admitted. Llyr dropped his hand but held the rock, as if he’d keep it. “You said earlier that we trade rocks for brides. We actually trade ore, not simply rocks. Ore is a big part of our planetary economy, so I read about it. Then I read about other rocks and minerals. Then I read about making ore into fuel. Then I read about the engines that use the fuel.”
Mede reached her hand out for the rock. He glanced at her questioningly before handing it over.
“You should have read about our laws.” She dropped the rock on the ground. “This land is protected, which means removing stones is forbidden.”
“Only if I’m caught.” Llyr took a bold step closer. His gaze dipped to her lips. “You won’t tell on me, will you?”
“What would be the point?” She arched a brow. It was hard to act nonchalant when he was close. She imagined she could feel the heat from his body. Her eyes went to his chest, to the cracked crystal. Unsure as to why, she lightly touched the cool stone. There was more hum between their un-touching bodies than in the crystal against her fingers. “I have a feeling you would not be imprisoned for the offence.”
“Are you saying I would use my position to break the law?” He reached his hand to cover hers. Her nerves jumped to life.
“You might not want to do that with her father watching you,” Tomos said casually as he walked past. “He looks irritated. And really tough.”
Mede jerked her hand away with a gasp. She spun around to see her father standing near a small cave entrance.
Axell’s arms were crossed over his thick chest. She could see how someone would think her father was intimidating. He rarely smiled and had a dry wit that left others pondering his true meaning. Mede smiled at him and rushed forward. Mostly, she hurried away from Llyr. She needed to put distance between them.
“A few of the palace ceffyls appear to have gotten into solarflowers,” Mede said. She paused to kiss his cheek. “Prince Llyr brought them up for you to look at. He needed a guide to find you so mother sent me.”
“Did they let them eat afterwards?” Axell asked. He placed his hand lovingly on his daughters shoulder and nodded once in greeting.
“I believe so,” Mede answered. Solarflowers needed to be starved out of the creatures so they didn’t become ill from the mild toxins released when they combined with other foods in the digestive process. The real problem was that ceffyls could find a single solarflower in an acre of field, like a marsh farmer could sniff out a liquor still in the shadowed marshes. “They show classic symptoms.”
“I’ll check them.” Her father sighed loudly. “See to the newborn for me.”
“Live?” she asked.
“Yes, early this morning. He’s a sickly little thing.” Her father motioned that she should go inside the cave. “It’s fortunate you came. The more he bonds to others, the better chance he’ll have at surviving.”
She entered the cave and found a ceffyl baby bundled in her father’s bedroll. The cave was small with smoothed stone floors and ledges. Even with a small fire, the light was dim, but she could see easily. The baby ceffyl would do better in the cooler temperature and darker environment.
The creature’s tiny face poked out of a small opening in the bedding. Its long tongue hung from its mouth and trembled with each breath. Mede sat on the dirt floor and moved the solid bundle onto her lap. She scratched the soft nub on the animal’s head where a horn would later grow. It made a happy gurgling noise and stretched stubby legs against the bedding.
“There’s a little beast,” she whispered softly. “Open your eyes and connect.”
The creature slowly obeyed her gentle prodding. Milky brown eyes found hers.
“Good little beast.”
* * *
Llyr listened to Mede’s affectionate voice as she spoke to the ceffyl. Raw emotion made an unsteady path over his body. It became impossible to move. The tenderness brought forth an intense longing. His hand automatically moved beneath his tunic to reach into his pocket. The crystal was warm and he knew it glowed. The hum of energy coming from it radiated over him. His palm itched, the power of it almost burning his skin.
“It would have been better if you starved them until the flowers were digested. At least three days.”
Llyr gave a little jolt of surprise and let go of the stone in his pocket as he turned to face Mede’s father. He’d always respected Axell and didn’t mind his gruff nature. “I didn’t bring her flowers.”
Axell glanced into the cave where his daughter was and then back at the prince.
“Oh, the solarflowers,” Llyr quickly amended, forcing his brain to focus. “I wasn’t sure the ceffyls had gotten into any. I have the stable boys constantly on the lookout for them, but they grow like weeds by the palace.”
“Tell me, how is it no one there recognizes solarflower sickness in the ceffyls? As you said, they grow like weeds.” Axell studied him.
Llyr couldn’t meet the man’s perceptive gaze.
“Why have you really come to speak to me?” Axell asked. “I’ve heard rumors that the Var have been scented coming over the borders. I assumed it was like our young ones running over their borders for a bit of rebellion.”
Llyr looked back at the cave, listening for Mede. He thought of the night he’d been introduced to her.
“Is it more than that?” The man frowned. “If you’ve come to ask me
for more ceffyl stock, I cannot rush the process. I won’t overbreed my herd.”
Inside the cave, Mede talked gently to the animal like it was her own baby.
“What is Mede doing in there?” Llyr asked.
Axell laughed. “Ah, so you didn’t come for me. At least tell me you didn’t feed the solarflowers to the animals on purpose.”
Llyr chuckled, knowing the man was joking with him. Axell knew he’d never hurt an animal. He gave a sheepish look at the ground.
“She’s helping the animal bond,” Axell said. “They will be more social in life if they connect to people when they’re newborn, but it has to be a calm setting.” The man studied him. “Mede has a soft spot for animals. You should go in and offer to help. You can leave the sick animals with me. I’ll make sure they purge the flowers.”
Llyr smiled, grateful for the advice. “And Tomos will help you with the ceffyls before we leave for Mining Village. That’s our next stop. He has family there. Lady Grace also asked that we bring you food.”
“My wife undoubtedly sent enough to feed the whole Draig army. You must join me for a meal before you leave.”
Llyr nodded. “Our pleasure.”
“Thank you. I would like to spend some time with my daughter but in this case...” Axell glanced toward the cave entrance. “Tell Mede you need a guide out of the valley. But act like a prince or—”
“You’ll come after me like any father would?”
“No.” Axell shook his head in denial and placed his hand on Llyr’s shoulder. “My daughter will trap you in the mines and leave you where no one can find you. That dragon has a temper.”
Llyr gave a nervous laugh.
“And you might want to wrap that stone in your pocket in some darker material. When you stand in the shadows I can see it glowing through your tunic.”
Llyr needlessly glanced down. “I can explain.”
The Dragon's Queen (Dragon Lords) Page 7
